On Inauguration Day, Transfer Of Power Includes Handover Of Twitter Accounts

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Vice President Harris celebrates with the incoming president after being sworn in Wednesday on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

Tasos Katopodis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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Tasos Katopodis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Harris celebrates with the incoming president after being sworn in Wednesday on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

Tasos Katopodis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

After President Biden and Vice President Harris were sworn into office Wednesday, they inherited two other important titles: @POTUS and @VP.

That’s because the transfer of power included the transition of official administration Twitter accounts.

Members of the Biden-Harris administration are assuming ownership of a number of institutional accounts, including @WhiteHouse, @FLOTUS for first lady Jill Biden and @PressSec for the incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Twitter also created a new account for the vice president’s husband, Doug Emhoff: @SecondGentleman.

«People on Twitter will be able to watch the transition of power take place in real-time as accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady and White House Press Secretary inherit their new institutional usernames,» the company said in a statement.

? @POTUS and @POTUS45
? @VP and @VP45
? @FLOTUS and @FLOTUS45
? @WhiteHouse and @WhiteHouse45
? @PressSec and @PressSec45
? @SecondGentleman and @SecondLady45
? and more! https://t.co/i9tzZp34F9

— TwitterGov (@TwitterGov) January 20, 2021

The new accounts will not automatically retain followers from the previous administration, Twitter said.

Detailing the process, Twitter said it first transferred the previous institutional accounts to the National Archives and Records Administration, where their posts and account histories will remain publicly available. The Trump administration’s @POTUS account will be publicly archived as @POTUS45. Trump tweeted mostly from his personal account, @realDonaldTrump, which was banned from the platform following the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Minutes after being sworn in, Biden posted his first tweet from the @POTUS account, pledging to get to work immediately to address the many challenges facing the country.

There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face. That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families.

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2021

Biden had previously announced he plans to sign 17 executive actions, spanning topics from immigration to mask-wearing, on his first day in office.

Harris also tweeted from the @VP account just minutes after noon: «Ready to serve.»

Ready to serve.

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 20, 2021